Adjustable Overhead Cooking Unit

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, a cooking unit includes a rear housing, a heating chamber coupled to the rear housing, and one or more vertical tracks coupled to the rear housing. The cooking unit further includes a support shelf coupled to the vertical tracks, and operable to be moved vertically along the vertical tracks. The cooking unit also includes a sliding tray coupled to the support shelf, and operable to be moved horizontally with respect to the rear housing. The cooking unit further includes a handle coupled to a front surface of the sliding tray, and an actuator positioned adjacent to the handle so as to allow both the handle to be grasped and the actuator engaged by a single hand of a user. The actuator is operable to unlock the horizontal support shelf so as to allow the horizontal support shelf to be moved vertically along the vertical tracks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/102,246, filed Jan. 12, 2015, the entirety ofwhich is incorporated herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the field of cooking units and morespecifically to an adjustable overhead cooking unit.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, overhead cooking units may have a shelf positionedunderneath a heating device. As such, food can be placed on the shelf,and the heating device may heat (or cook) the food. These traditionaloverhead cooking units, however, may be deficient.

SUMMARY

A first aspect of the invention is achieved by providing a cooking unit,comprising a rear housing; a horizontal gas combustion chamber coupledto the rear housing, the horizontal gas combustion chamber beingoperable to direct heat downward; a pair of vertical tracks coupled tothe rear housing; a horizontal support shelf coupled to the pair ofvertical tracks and positioned below the horizontal gas combustionchamber, the horizontal support shelf being operable to be movedvertically along the pair of vertical tracks; a horizontal sliding traycoupled to the horizontal support shelf and positioned above thehorizontal support shelf, the horizontal sliding tray being operable tobe moved horizontally with respect to the rear housing; a handle coupledto a front surface of the horizontal sliding tray; an actuatorpositioned adjacent to the handle so as to allow both the handle to begrasped and the actuator engaged by a single hand of a user, theactuator being operable, when engaged, to unlock the horizontal supportshelf so as to allow the horizontal support shelf to be moved verticallyalong the pair of vertical tracks using the handle and the single handof the user, the actuator being further operable, when not engaged, tolock the horizontal support shelf so as to prevent the horizontalsupport shelf from being moved vertically along the pair of verticaltracks; a vertical flat gear coupled to the rear housing, wherein thevertical flat gear is positioned laterally in-between the pair ofvertical tracks; and a gear stop having a portion positioned in aportion of the vertical flat gear, wherein the gear stop is coupled, atleast indirectly, to the actuator, wherein the actuator is operable,when engaged, to remove the portion of the gear stop from the positionin the portion of the vertical flat gear so as to unlock the horizontalsupport shelf.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein thecooking unit is operable to be coupled to a vent flue.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, furthercomprising a pair of brackets coupled to a rear face of the rearhousing, the pair of brackets being operable to be inserted into anupper opening of a cavity of a vent flue.

A second aspect of the invention is achieved by providing a cookingunit, comprising a rear housing; a horizontal heating chamber coupled tothe rear housing, the horizontal heating chamber being operable todirect heat downward; one or more vertical tracks coupled to the rearhousing; a horizontal support shelf coupled to the one or more verticaltracks and positioned below the horizontal heating chamber, thehorizontal support shelf being operable to be moved vertically along theone or more vertical tracks; a horizontal sliding tray coupled to thehorizontal support shelf and positioned above the horizontal supportshelf, the horizontal sliding tray being operable to be movedhorizontally with respect to the rear housing; a handle coupled to afront surface of the horizontal sliding tray; and an actuator positionedadjacent to the handle so as to allow both the handle to be grasped andthe actuator engaged by a single hand of a user, the actuator beingoperable, when engaged, to unlock the horizontal support shelf so as toallow the horizontal support shelf to be moved vertically along the oneor more vertical tracks using the handle and the single hand of theuser, the actuator being further operable, when not engaged, to lock thehorizontal support shelf so as to prevent the horizontal support shelffrom being moved vertically along the one or more vertical tracks.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein thehorizontal heating chamber is a horizontal gas combustion chamber.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein theone or more vertical tracks comprise at least two vertical tracks.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, furthercomprising a vertical flat gear coupled to the rear housing; and a gearstop having a portion positioned in a portion of the vertical flat gear,wherein the gear stop is coupled, at least indirectly, to the actuator,wherein the actuator is operable, when engaged, to remove the portion ofthe gear stop from the position in the portion of the vertical flat gearso as to unlock the horizontal support shelf.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein theone or more vertical tracks comprise two vertical tracks, and thevertical flat gear is positioned laterally in-between the two verticaltracks.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein thehorizontal support shelf is further operable to be moved verticallyalong the one or more vertical tracks while the horizontal sliding trayis positioned at a maximum forward horizontal position with respect tothe rear housing.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein theactuator is operable to be moved forward towards the handle so as to beengaged.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein thecooking unit is operable to be coupled to a vent flue.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, furthercomprising a pair of brackets coupled to a rear face of the rearhousing, the pair of brackets being operable to be inserted into anupper opening of a cavity of a vent flue.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein theactuator is positioned within a range of approximately 6inches-approximately 1 inch from the handle, so as to allow both thehandle to be grasped and the actuator engaged by a single hand of auser.

Another aspect of the invention is any such cooking unit, wherein theactuator is positioned less than approximately 3 inches from the handle,so as to allow both the handle to be grasped and the actuator engaged bya single hand of a user.

A third aspect of the invention is achieved by performing a methodcomprising providing a cooking unit, the cooking unit comprising a rearhousing; a horizontal heating chamber coupled to the rear housing, thehorizontal heating chamber being operable to direct heat downward; oneor more vertical tracks coupled to the rear housing; a horizontalsupport shelf coupled to the one or more vertical tracks and positionedbelow the horizontal heating chamber; a horizontal sliding tray coupledto the horizontal support shelf and positioned above the horizontalsupport shelf; a handle coupled to a front surface of the horizontalsliding tray; and an actuator positioned adjacent to the handle;grasping the handle with a first hand; engaging the actuator with thefirst hand so as to unlock the horizontal support shelf; and moving thehorizontal support shelf vertically along the one or more verticaltracks using the handle.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, wherein moving thehorizontal support shelf vertically along the one or more verticaltracks using the handle comprises raising the horizontal support shelftoward the horizontal heating chamber.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, wherein moving thehorizontal support shelf vertically along the one or more verticaltracks using the handle comprises lowering the horizontal support shelfaway from the horizontal heating chamber.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, further comprisingunengaging the horizontal support shelf so as to lock the horizontalsupport shelf to prevent the horizontal support shelf from being movedvertically along the one or more vertical tracks.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, wherein engaging theactuator with the first hand comprises moving the actuator toward thehandle using the first hand.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, further comprisingmoving the horizontal sliding tray horizontally with respect to the rearhousing.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, further comprisingproviding a vent flue; and coupling the cooking unit to the vent flue.

Another aspect of the invention is any such method, wherein the cookingunit further comprises a pair of brackets coupled to a rear face of therear housing; and wherein the method further comprises inserting thepair of brackets into an upper opening of a cavity of the vent flue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate an example cooking unit;

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate another example cooking unit.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate an example of internal components of a cookingunit of FIGS. 1A-1B;

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate an example of the cooking unit of FIGS. 1A-1Bcoupled to a vent flue;

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example of a kitchen area that utilizes acooking unit; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method of installing and/or using acooking unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are best understood by referringto FIGS. 1A-6 of the drawings, like numerals being used for like andcorresponding parts of the various drawings.

Traditionally, overhead cooking units may have a shelf positionedunderneath a heating device. As such, food can be placed on the shelf,and the heating device may heat (or cook) the food. These traditionaloverhead cooking units, however, may be deficient. For example, some ofthese traditional overhead cooking units may have a shelf that isadjustable, so it may be raised and lowered. However, adjusting thistraditional shelf may be burdensome because it may require 2 hands. Inparticular, the shelf may have a release mechanism that allows the shelfto be adjusted, but this release mechanism may be located away from theshelf itself. As such, to adjust the shelf, a user may need to use theirfirst hand to engage the release mechanism, and also use their secondhand to adjust the shelf. This 2-handed approach prevents the user fromholding other items while adjusting the shelf, such as preventing theuser from holding the food to be cooked, wearing an oven mitt that maybe used to prevent the user from being burned, or holding a towel, tray,plate, or utensil. Contrary to such typical deficiencies, the cookingunit 100 of FIGS. 1A-5B may provide one or more advantages.

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate an example cooking unit. In particular, FIG. 1Aillustrates a front perspective view of a cooking unit 100, and FIG. 1Billustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the cooking unit 100. Asillustrated, the cooking unit 100 includes a heating chamber 110 and oneor more vertical tracks 151 coupled to a housing 140. Furthermore, thecooking unit 100 also includes a support shelf 120 coupled to thevertical tracks 151, and a sliding tray 130 with a handle 135 coupled tothe support shelf 120. Also, the cooking unit 100 includes an actuator150 positioned adjacent to the handle 135. When the actuator 150 isengaged, for example, the actuator 150 may unlock the support shelf 120,allowing the support shelf 120 to be moved vertically along the verticaltracks 151. When in use, a user may grasp the handle 135 and engage theactuator 150 with the same hand. As such, the user may simultaneouslyunlock the support shelf 120 and also lift and/or lower the supportshelf 120 using the same hand Therefore, the vertical positioning of thesupport shelf 120 may be adjusted using only one hand, which may allowthe user to adjust the vertical position of the support shelf 120 whilealso utilizing a second hand to, for example, hold food to be cooked,wear an oven mitt that may be used to prevent the user from beingburned, or hold a towel, tray, plate, or utensil.

A cooking unit 100 may be any type of unit for cooking. For example, thecooking unit 100 may be an overhead cooking unit 100. In such anexample, the cooking unit 100 may be positioned off the floor of akitchen, such as placed above tables, other cooking devices (such as anoven, a fryer, a steamer, etc.), or other kitchen units (such as a sink,a dishwasher, etc.). Therefore, the cooking unit 100 may take up lessfloor space of a kitchen, leaving the floor space for other cookingdevices or free space for use by kitchen personnel. The cooking unit 100may be any type of overhead cooking unit. For example, the cooking unit100 may be a salamander. A salamander may be a small self-containedbroiler unit that may be used to finish or brown food. As anotherexample, the cooking unit 100 may be a cheese melter. A cheese meltermay be a cooking appliance powered by direct flame or electricity, thatallows a person to put finishing touches on food, especially food toppedwith shredded cheese. As illustrated, the cooking unit 100 is asalamander.

As is illustrated, the cooking unit 100 includes a rear housing 140. Therear housing 140 may be any structure that may support one or morefeatures of the cooking unit 100. For example, the rear housing 140 maybe a slab, a panel, a board, a sheet, one or more bars, one or morerods, one or more pipes, any other structure that may support one ormore features of the cooking unit 100, or any combination of thepreceding. A feature of the cooking unit 100 may include any type offeature. For example, the feature may be the heating chamber 110, thevertical tracks 151, the support shelf 120, the sliding tray 130, anyother cooking feature, any other kitchen feature, or any combination ofthe preceding.

The rear housing 140 may be made of (or constructed of) any material.For example, the rear housing 140 may be made of steel, stainless steel,aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy(including coated, plated and clad metals), any other material that issufficiently strong and stable while enduring long term exposure toheat, or any combination of the preceding. Additionally, the rearhousing 140 may be hollow, or it may be solid.

The rear housing 140 may have any shape. For example, the rear housing140 may be a flat panel (or board). In such an example, the front side(or face) of the flat panel (or board) may be shaped as a rectangle, asquare, a circle, an irregular shape, any other shape, or anycombination of the preceding. As another example, the rear housing 140may not be flat. Instead, the rear housing 140 may be (or have) acompartment with a cross-section (as is illustrated in FIG. 1B) that isshaped as a rectangle, a square, a circle, an irregular shape, any othershape, or any combination of the preceding. In such an example, thecompartment portion of the rear housing 140 may contain one or moreelements (or features) that may allow the support shelf 120 to be movedin a vertical direction (such as up and/or down), an example of which isillustrated in FIGS. 3A-3B. The rear housing 140 may also have any size.For example, the rear housing 140 may have a vertical height ofapproximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot, approximately 2 feet,approximately 3 feet, approximately 4 feet, approximately 5 feet,approximately 6 feet, or approximately any other size. As anotherexample, the rear housing 140 may have a lateral length of approximately(i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot, approximately 2 feet, approximately 3 feet,approximately 4 feet, approximately 5 feet, approximately 6 feet, orapproximately any other size.

As illustrated, the cooking unit 100 further includes a heating chamber110. The heating chamber 110 may be any apparatus that may generateheat. For example, the heating chamber 110 may be (or may have) abroiler, a heat lamp, a heater, an infrared (IR) emitting burner (suchas a gas heated porous ceramic plate, for example), any other apparatusthat may generate heat, or any combination of the preceding. In oneexample, a salamander and/or a cheese melter preferably includes an IRemitting burner positioned at the bottom of the heating chamber 110. Theheating chamber 110 may further direct the heat in a direction. Forexample, the heating chamber 110 may direct the heat downward, so as toheat food (or any other item) located vertically below the heatingchamber 110. In such an example, the heating chamber 110 may direct theheat downward toward the support shelf 120 and the sliding tray 130, soas to heat food (or any other item) positioned on the sliding tray 130.As another example, the heating chamber may direct heat (or be tilted)upward, if it is desirable to make a portion of the sliding tray 130(such as the portion of the sliding tray 130 that is closer to the rearhousing 140) hotter. In the case of the IR burner with a porous ceramicplate, the plate may, for example, be positioned generally parallel toand spaced apart from a vertical plane of the sliding tray 130(discussed below).

The heating chamber 110 may generate heat in any manner. For example,the heating chamber 110 may a gas combustion chamber, an electricheating chamber, a wood-burning heating chamber, a charcoal-burningheating chamber, any other solid fuel-burning heating chamber, a chamberthat generates heat using any other burnable or heat able substance,fuel, or energy source, any other chamber that may generate heat, or anycombination of the preceding.

The heating chamber 110 may have any size. Also, the heating chamber 110may have any shape. For example, the heating chamber 110 may have across-section shaped as a square, a rectangle, a circle, an oval, anyother shape, or any combination of the preceding. As is illustrated inFIGS. 1A-1B, the heating chamber 110 has a cross-section shaped as arectangle. The heating chamber 110 may be made of (or constructed of)any material. For example, the heating chamber 110 may be made of steel,stainless steel, aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, any other metal ormetal alloy (including coated, plated or clad metals), any other heatresistant material, or any combination of the preceding.

The heating chamber 110 may be coupled to the rear housing 140, as isillustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B. The heating chamber 110 may be coupled tothe rear housing 140 in any manner For example, the heating chamber 110may be bolted to the rear housing 140, screwed to the rear housing 140,riveted to the rear housing 140, clipped or snapped into the rearhousing 140, welded to the rear housing 140, formed integral with therear housing 140, coupled to the rear housing 140 in any other manner,or any combination of the preceding. Any portion of the heating chamber110 may be coupled to the rear housing 140. For example, as isillustrated, only the rear end of the heating chamber 110 (or a portionof the rear end of the heating chamber 110) may be coupled to the rearhousing 140 (i.e., in a cantilever formation). In such an example, thesupport for the weight of the heating chamber 110 may be providedthrough this coupling. The heating chamber 110 may be coupled to anyportion of the rear housing 140. For example, the heating chamber 110may be coupled to a front face of the rear housing 140, a rear face ofthe rear housing 140, any other portion of the rear housing 140, or anycombination of the preceding. As illustrated, the heating chamber 110 iscoupled to the front face of the rear housing 140. Additionally, theheating chamber 110 may be coupled to the rear housing 140 at any heightof the rear housing 140 and/or at any lateral position of the rearhousing 140.

The heating chamber 110 may be oriented in any manner that may allow theheating chamber 110 to generate and direct heat, so as to heat food (orany other item). For example, the heating chamber 110 may be orientedhorizontally, vertically, or any angle in-between horizontal andvertical. As illustrated, the heating chamber 110 is orientedhorizontally.

As illustrated, the cooking unit 100 further includes vertical tracks151. A vertical track 151 may be any structure that may form a path,route, or track in the vertical direction. For example, the track 151may be a groove, an opening, a ridge, a slot, any other structure thatmay form a path, route, or track in the vertical direction, or anycombination of the preceding. The vertical track 151 may form a path inthe vertical direction that may be used to move the support shelf 120vertically along the vertical track 151.

The cooking unit 100 may have any number of vertical tracks 151. Forexample, the cooking unit 100 may have 1 vertical track 151, 2 verticaltracks 151, 3 vertical tracks 151, 4 vertical tracks 151, 5 verticaltracks 151, or any other number of vertical tracks 151. As isillustrated in FIG. 1A, the cooking unit 100 has 2 vertical tracks 151(i.e., vertical track 151 a (not shown) and vertical track 151 b).Furthermore, the vertical track 151 may have any shape and/or size. Forexample, the vertical track 151 may have a length that extends fromapproximately (i.e., +/−2 inches) the bottom of the rear housing 140 toapproximately the vertical position at which the heating chamber 110 iscoupled to the rear housing 140. As another example, the vertical track151 may have a length of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot toapproximately 5 feet. The vertical track 151 may be made of (orconstructed of) any material. For example, the vertical track 151 may bemade of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, anyother metal or metal alloy (including coated, plated or clad metals),refractory materials (such as cement, clay, brick, laminates), any otherheat resistant material, or any combination of the preceding.

The vertical track 151 may be coupled to the rear housing 140. Thevertical track 151 may be coupled to the rear housing 140 in any manner.For example, the vertical track 151 may be bolted to the rear housing140, screwed to the rear housing 140, riveted to the rear housing 140,clipped or snapped into the rear housing 140, welded to the rear housing140, formed integral with the rear housing 140, formed in the rearhousing 140, coupled to the rear housing 140 in any other manner, or anycombination of the preceding. The vertical track 151 may be coupled toany portion of the rear housing 140. For example, the vertical track 151may be coupled to a front face of the rear housing 140, a rear face ofthe rear housing 140, in-between the front face of the rear housing 140and the rear face of the rear housing 140, any other portion of the rearhousing 140, or any combination of the preceding. As illustrated, thevertical tracks 151 are coupled inside the compartment portion of therear housing 151, in-between the front face of the rear housing 140 andthe rear face of the rear housing 140. The vertical track 151 may becoupled to the rear housing 140 at any height of the rear housing 140.For example, the vertical track 151 may be coupled to the rear housing140 at any height vertically below the heating chamber 110. The verticaltrack 151 may further be coupled to the rear housing 140 at any lateralposition of the rear housing 140.

As illustrated, the cooking unit 100 further includes a support shelf120. A support shelf 120 may be any structure that may support slidingtray 130. For example, the support shelf 120 may be a slab, a panel, aboard, a sheet, a shelf, one or more bars, one or more rods, one or morepipes, any other structure that may support sliding tray 130, or anycombination of the preceding. The support shelf 120 may be movedvertically along the vertical tracks 151. For example, the support shelf120 may be moved upward toward the heating chamber 110, or downward awayfrom the heating chamber 110. The support shelf 120 may be movedvertically along the vertical tracks 151 in any manner. For example, thesupport shelf 120 may be manually moved (such as by a user of cookingunit 120 applying force to the support shelf 120), mechanically moved(such as by one or more motors, gears, and/or springs), magneticallymoved, moved in any other manner, or any combination of the preceding.An example of elements (or features) that may allow the support shelf120 to be moved in a vertical direction (such as up and/or down) isdiscussed below with regard to FIGS. 3A-3B.

The support shelf 120 may be moved vertically along the vertical tracks151 for any distance. For example, the support shelf 120 may be movedalong the vertical tracks 151 from approximately (i.e., +/−2 inches) thebottom of the rear housing 140 to approximately the vertical position atwhich the heating chamber 110 is coupled to the rear housing 140. Asanother example, the support shelf 120 may be moved along the verticaltracks 151 for a distance of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot toapproximately 5 feet. By moving the support shelf 120 vertically alongthe vertical tracks 151, food (or any other items) positioned on thesliding tray 130 (and supported by the support shelf 120) may be movedtoward and/or away from the heating chamber 110. Such movement mayincrease and/or decrease the amount of heat (or temperature) that thefood (or other item) is subjected to. Additionally, such movement mayalso allow the user of the cooking unit 100 additional space to work in.For example, by lowering the support shelf (and the sliding tray 130supported by the support shelf 120), the user may have additional spaceto manipulate the food positioned on the sliding tray 130. As anotherexample, by raising the support shelf 120 (and the sliding tray 130supported by the support shelf 120), the user may have additional spaceunderneath the support shelf 120 to perform other work. In such anexample, another kitchen feature (such an oven or preparation table) maybe positioned underneath the support shelf 120, and raising the supportshelf 120 may increase the amount of workspace underneath the supportshelf 120.

The support shelf 120 may have any size. For example, the support shelf120 may have a lateral length of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1foot to approximately 5 feet. As another example, the support shelf 120may have a depth of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot toapproximately 4 feet. The support shelf 120 may further have any shape.For example, the support shelf 120 may have a cross-section shaped as asquare, a rectangle, a circle, an oval, any other shape, or anycombination of the preceding. As is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B, thesupport shelf 120 has a cross-section shaped as a rectangle. The supportshelf 120 may be made of (or constructed of) any material. For example,the support shelf 120 may be made of steel, stainless steel, aluminum,iron, brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy (including coated,plated or clad metals), any other material, or any combination of thepreceding.

The support shelf 120 may be coupled to the vertical tracks 151. Thesupport shelf 120 may be coupled to the vertical tracks 151 in anymoveable manner. For example, the support shelf 120 may include one ormore wheels that may be inserted into the vertical tracks 151, as isillustrated in FIG. 3A. As another example, the support shelf 120 mayinclude one or more hooks, rods, brackets and/or connectors that may becoupled to the vertical tracks 151 by a device that moves (automaticallyor manually) along the vertical tracks 151.

Any portion of the support shelf 120 may be coupled to the rear housing140. For example, only the rear end of the support shelf 120 (or aportion of the rear end of the heating chamber 110) may be coupled tothe rear housing 140 (i.e., in a cantilever formation). As anotherexample, only the rear portion of side surfaces of the heating chamber110 may be coupled to the rear housing 140, an example of which isillustrated in FIG. 3A. In such examples, the support for the weight ofthe heating chamber 110 may be provided through these example couplings.The support shelf 120 may be coupled to the vertical tracks 151 at anyheight of the rear housing 140. For example, the support shelf 120 maybe coupled to the vertical tracks 151 at a height vertically below theheating chamber 110. As such, the support shelf 120 may be positionedunderneath the heating chamber 110.

As illustrated, the cooking unit 100 further includes a sliding tray130. A sliding tray 130 may be any structure that may be used to supportfood (or other items) to be heated (or cooked) by the heating chamber110. For example, the sliding tray 130 may be a tray, a container, aslab, a panel, a board, a sheet, a shelf, one or more bars, one or morerods, one or more pipes, any other structure that may be used to supportfood (or other items) to be heated (or cooked) by the heating chamber110, or any combination of the preceding. The sliding tray 130 may bemoved horizontally with respect to the rear housing 140 (and/or thesupport shelf 120). For example, the sliding tray 130 may be movedhorizontally away from the rear housing 140 (and/or the support shelf120). Furthermore, the sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally towardthe rear housing 140 (and/or the support shelf 120). The sliding tray130 may be moved horizontally in any manner For example, the slidingtray 130 may be manually moved (such as by a user of cooking unit 100applying force to the sliding tray 130), mechanically moved (such as byone or more motors, gears, and/or springs), magnetically moved, moved inany other manner, or any combination of the preceding. In one example,the sliding tray 130 is preferably manually moved horizontally.

The sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally for any distance. Forexample, the sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally for a distanceof approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot to approximately 4 feet. Asanother example, the sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally for adistance of between 0 inches to 14 inches (or more). By moving thesliding tray 130 horizontally, food (or any other items) positioned onthe sliding tray 130 may be moved away from a position directlyunderneath the heating chamber 110. Such movement may decrease theamount of heat (or temperature) that the food (or other item) issubjected to. Additionally, such movement may also allow the user of thecooking unit 100 to add and/or remove food (or any other items) from thesliding tray 130 without the user being subjected to direct heat fromthe heating chamber 110. As such, the user may be less likely to beburned by the heating chamber 110. In one example, the sliding tray 130is preferably moved far enough away from underneath the heating chamber110 to facilitate a safer way to inspect and/or remove food. As this maydepend on the nature of what is being cooked or prepared, it is morepreferable for the sliding tray 130 to be moved completely out fromunderneath the heating chamber 110, in one example.

The sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally at any time with respectto the vertical movement of the support shelf 120, and vice versa. Forexample, the sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally toward (or awayfrom) the rear housing 140 while the support structure 120 is at amaximum vertical position, a minimum vertical position, any othervertical position in-between the maximum and minimum vertical position,and/or while the support structure 130 is being moved vertically. Asanother example, the support structure 120 may be moved verticallytoward (or away from) the heating chamber 110 while the sliding tray 130is at a maximum forward horizontal position with respect to the rearhousing 140, a minimum forward horizontal position with respect to therear housing 140, any other horizontal position in-between the maximumand minimum forward horizontal position with respect to the rear housing140, and/or while the sliding tray 130 is being moved horizontally.

The sliding tray 130 may have any size. For example, the sliding tray130 may have a lateral length of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1foot to approximately 5 feet. As another example, the sliding tray 130may have a depth of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot toapproximately 4 feet. The sliding tray 130 may be wider than, narrowerthan, or the same size as the support shelf 120. The sliding tray 130may further have any shape. For example, the sliding tray 130 may have across-section shaped as a square, a rectangle, a circle, an oval, anyother shape, or any combination of the preceding. As is illustrated inFIGS. 1A-1B, the sliding tray 130 has a cross-section shaped as arectangle. The sliding tray 130 may be made of (or constructed of) anymaterial. For example, the sliding tray 130 may be made of steel,stainless steel, aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, any other metal ormetal alloy (including coated, plated or clad metals), refractorymaterials (such as cement, clay, brick, laminates), any other heatresistant material, or any combination of the preceding.

The sliding tray 130 may be coupled to the support shelf 120 in amoveable manner. This may allow the sliding tray 130 to movehorizontally toward and/or away from the rear housing 14 (such as movehorizontally at a 90 degree angle to a vertical surface (or face) of therear housing 140). It may further allow the sliding tray 130 to pivot(or rotate) with respect to the support shelf 120, allowing, forexample, the sliding tray 130 to be rotated toward a user (such as auser who is not standing directly in front of the cooking unit 100). Thesliding tray 130 may be coupled to the support shelf 120 in any moveablemanner. For example, the sliding tray 130 may include one or morewheels, rails, tracks, hinges, movable items, moveable engaging features(such as moveable brackets), rotatable items, rotatable engagingfeatures, any other movable structure, any other rotatable structure, orany combination of the preceding. These moveable (and/or rotatable)features of the sliding tray 130 may be inserted into (or work incombination with) one or more grooves, slots, brackets, tracks, rails,hinges, or complementary moveable (and/or rotatable) structures includedon (or formed in) the support shelf 130, allowing the sliding tray 130to move horizontally with respect to the rear housing 140 and/orallowing the sliding tray 130 to rotate with respect to the supportshelf 120. The grooves, slots, brackets, tracks, rails, hinges, orcomplementary moveable (and/or rotatable) structures may be included on(or formed in) the top surface of the support shelf 130, the bottomsurface of the support shelf 130, or the side surfaces of the supportshelf 130. These grooves, slots, brackets, tracks, rails, hinges, orcomplementary moveable (and/or rotatable) structures included on (orformed in) in the support shelf 130 may guide the sliding tray along thesupport shelf 130 in a horizontal manner and/or in a rotatable manner.As another example, the sliding tray 130 may include one or more hooks,rods, brackets and/or connectors that may be coupled to the supportshelf 120 by a device that moves (automatically or manually) along thesupport shelf 120.

The sliding tray 130 may be positioned at any location with respect tothe support shelf 120. For example, the sliding tray 130 may bepositioned above the support shelf 120, below the support shelf 120, toeither lateral side of the support shelf 120, any other location withrespect to the support shelf 120, or any combination of the preceding.In one example, the sliding tray 130 is preferably positioned above thesupport shelf 120 (so as to be closer to the heating chamber 110). Thesliding tray 130 may be positioned at any angle with respect to thesupport shelf 120. For example, the sliding tray 130 may be positionedparallel to the support shelf 120, as is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B.Furthermore, the horizontal movement of the sliding tray 130 may be atany angle with respect to the support shelf 120. For example, all (or aportion) of the horizontal movement of the sliding tray 130 may beparallel to the support shelf 120.

The sliding tray 130 may further include various components, features,or parts. For example, as is illustrated, the sliding tray 130 includesa top surface 138, a catch tray 136, and a handle 135. The top surface138 may be positioned on top of the sliding tray 130, and may directlysupport food (or any other items). The top surface 138 may include anysurface for supporting (and/or cooking) food, such as a flat surface, arack, a grate (or grill surface), any other surface for supporting(and/or cooking) food, or any combination of the preceding. The catchtray 136 may be positioned below the top surface 138, and may catch(and/or collect) portions of the food that may drip during the heating(and/or cooking) process. The handle 135 may be positioned on a frontsurface of the sliding tray 130. The handle 135 may have any size,shape, and/or configuration for allowing a user to grasp the handle 135.The handle 135 may be grasped (or otherwise be handled) by a user inorder to move the support structure 120 (and sliding tray 130)vertically along the vertical tracks 151, to move the sliding tray 130horizontally, to rotate (or pivot) the sliding tray 130, or anycombination of the preceding.

As illustrated, the cooking unit 100 further includes an actuator 150.An actuator 150 may be any device or mechanism that may lock and unlockthe support shelf 120. When the support shelf 120 is locked, the supportshelf 120 may be prevented from being moved vertically along thevertical tracks 151. As such, the support shelf 120 may remain in thesame vertical position until the support shelf 120 is unlocked.Alternatively, when the support shelf 120 is unlocked, the support shelf120 may be moved vertically along the vertical tracks 151. As such, thevertical position of the support shelf 120 may be changed.

The actuator 150 may lock and unlock the support shelf 120 in anymanner. For example, the actuator 150 may be (or may be coupled) to amechanism that blocks the vertical tracks 151, a gear-based mechanismthat prevents a motor from being put into gear to move the support shelf120, a motor-based mechanism that starts and stops a motor that may movethe support shelf 120, a mechanism that may include protrusions that maybe inserted into a flat gear to prevent the support shelf 120 frommoving along the vertical tracks 151, a magnetic-based system that mayuse magnetic forces to temporarily lock the support shelf 120 in avertical position, any other mechanism and/or system for locking andunlocking the support shelf 120, or any combination of the preceding.FIGS. 3A-3B provide further details regarding one example for lockingand unlocking the support shelf 120.

The actuator 150 may unlock the support shelf 120 by being engaged.Additionally, the actuator 150 may be engaged in any manner For example,the actuator 150 may be engaged by moving the actuator 150 (e.g., movingthe actuator 150 using a finger), pulling the actuator 150 forward (orout), pushing the actuator 150 backward (or in), depressing the actuator150 (e.g., depressing a button), twisting the actuator 150, moving theactuator 150 laterally (e.g., to the left or right), moving the actuator150 vertically (e.g., up or down), grasping the actuator 150 (e.g.,using a single hand to co-grasp both the handle 135 and the actuator 150by placing the palm of the hand on or around the handle 135 and placingone or more fingers on or through the actuator 150 in a graspingmotion), any other manner of engaging the actuator 150, or anycombination of the preceding. The actuator 150 may lock the supportshelf 120 by being unengaged (or not being engaged). The actuator 150may be unengaged in any manner For example, the actuator 150 may beunengaged by reversing the motion that engaged the actuator 150,releasing the actuator 150 from being engaged (which may cause theactuator 150 to move back to an unengaged position), any other manner ofunengaging the actuator 150, or any combination of the preceding. Theactuator 150 may rest in a unengaged position, and may only leave theunengaged position when the actuator 150 is actively engaged. In such anexample, the support shelf 120 may rest in a locked position, and mayonly be unlocked (for moving the support shelf 120 vertically along thevertical tracks 151) when the actuator is actively engaged. Furthermore,although the actuator 150 has been described as unlocking the supportshelf 120 when engaged and locking the support shelf 120 when unengaged,the actuator 150 may alternatively unlock the support shelf 120 whenunengaged and lock the support shelf 120 when engaged.

The actuator 150 may have any size. For example, the actuator 150 mayhave a length that is longer than, equal to, or shorter than the handle135. In one example, it is preferable that the actuator 150 is shorterthan the handle 135. This may allow a user to grip the handle 135 in alocation that is distal from the actuator 150 so as to reduce thechances of accidentally engaging the actuator 150 when such engagementis undesirable (such as when the sliding tray 130 is being movedhorizontally, but not vertically, for example) or so as to reduce thechances of accidentally grasping the actuator 150 rather than the handle135. As another example, the actuator 150 may have a diameter that islarger than, equal to, or smaller than the handle 135. In one example,it is preferable that the actuator 150 has a diameter that is smallerthan the handle 135 so as to reduce the chances of accidentally graspingthe actuator 150 rather than the handle 135, for example.

The actuator 150 may have any shape. For example, the actuator 150 maybe shaped as (or may be) a button, a pull lever, a pull handle, aswitch, a latch, any other shape, or any combination of the preceding.

As another example, the actuator 150 may have a T-shape. The actuator150 may have a cross section with the same shape as the cross section ofthe handle 135 or may have a cross section with a different shape. Inone example, it is preferable that the actuator 150 is a pull handlewith a narrow bar-like cross section, while the handle 135 has a roundcross-section, so as to reduce the chances of accidentally grasping theactuator 150 rather than the handle 135, for example.

The actuator 150 may be made of (or constructed of) any material. Forexample, the actuator 150 may be made of steel, stainless steel,aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy(including coated, plated or clad metals), any other material, or anycombination of the preceding. Furthermore, the actuator 150 mayoptionally have a plastic, rubber, or laminate grip that covers all or aportion of the actuator 150.

The actuator 150 may be coupled to the support shelf 120 and/or thesliding tray 130. For example, the actuator 150 may be positioned withinthe support shelf 120, positioned within the sliding tray 130, coupledto a surface (such as a bottom surface) of the support shelf 120,coupled to a surface (such as a front surface) of the sliding tray 130,coupled to the handle 135 of the sliding tray 130, coupled to thesupport shelf 120 and/or the sliding tray 130 in any other manner, orany combination of the preceding.

The actuator 150 may be positioned adjacent (or otherwise in a closeproximity) to the handle 135 of the sliding tray 130. Such a positioningmay allow both the handle 135 of the sliding tray 130 to be grasped andthe actuator 150 to be engaged by a user using only a single hand. Forexample, the user may use the single hand to grasp the handle 135, andmay use the same hand to pull the actuator 150 forward toward the handle135 (thereby engaging the actuator 150). Such an engagement may occurafter the hand is already grasping the handle 135, immediately beforethe hand grasps the handle 135, or at substantially the same time as thehand grasping the handle 135 (i.e., both actions occur during the samemotion of the hand).

The actuator 150 may be positioned at any location adjacent the handle135 of the sliding tray 130. A location adjacent to the handle 135 mayrefer to any location that allows both the handle 135 of the slidingtray 130 to be grasped and the actuator 150 to be engaged by a userusing only a single hand. As is discussed above, such an engagement mayoccur after the hand is already grasping the handle 135, immediatelybefore the hand grasps the handle 135, or at substantially the same timeas the hand grasping the handle 135. Examples of a location adjacent tothe handle 135 include the actuator 150 being located on (or integratedwith) the handle 135 (e.g., the actuator may be a button or latchpositioned on the handle 135), above the handle 135 by less thanapproximately (+/−0.5 inches) 6 inches, above the handle 135 byapproximately 3 inches, above the handle 135 by less than approximately2 inches, above the handle 135 by less than approximately 1 inch, abovethe handle 135 by a range of approximately 6 inches to approximately 1inch, below the handle 135 by less than approximately 6 inches, belowthe handle 135 by less than approximately 3 inches, below the handle 135by less than approximately 2 inches, below the handle 135 by less thanapproximately 1 inch, below the handle 135 by a range of approximately 6inches to approximately 1 inch, to the left of the handle 135 by lessthan approximately 6 inches, to the left of the handle 135 by less thanapproximately 3 inches, to the left of the handle 135 by less thanapproximately 2 inches, to the left of the handle 135 by less thanapproximately 1 inch, to the left of the handle 135 by a range ofapproximately 6 inches to approximately 1 inch, to the right of thehandle 135 by less than approximately 6 inches, to the right of thehandle 135 by less than approximately 3 inches, to the right of thehandle 135 by less than approximately 2 inches, to the right of thehandle 135 by less than approximately 1 inch, to the right of the handle135 by a range of approximately 6 inches to approximately 1 inch, in aspace in-between a rear surface of the handle 135 and a front surface ofthe sliding tray 135 and located less than approximately 6 inches fromthe rear surface of the handle 135, in a space in-between a rear surfaceof the handle 135 and a front surface of the sliding tray 135 andlocated less than approximately 3 inches from the rear surface of thehandle 135, in a space in-between a rear surface of the handle 135 and afront surface of the sliding tray 135 and located less thanapproximately 2 inches from the rear surface of the handle 135, in aspace in-between a rear surface of the handle 135 and a front surface ofthe sliding tray 135 and located less than approximately 1 inch from therear surface of the handle 135, in a space in-between a rear surface ofthe handle 135 and a front surface of the sliding tray 135 and locatedwithin a range of approximately 6 inches to approximately 1 inch, withina length of an adult sized hand from the handle 135, any other locationadjacent the handle 135, or any combination of the preceding. Asillustrated, the actuator is located in the space in-between the rearsurface of the handle 135 and the front surface of the sliding tray 135.This position may allow the user 135 to grasp both the actuator 150 andthe handle 135 in the same squeezing motion, thereby causing both thehandle 135 to be grasped and the actuator 150 to be engaged (by pullingthe actuator 150 forward toward the handle 135) by the same hand of theuser.

By positioning the actuator 150 adjacent the handle 135 of the slidingtray 130 (as is discussed above), the user may simultaneously unlock thesupport shelf 120 and also lift and/or lower the support shelf 120 usingthe same hand. In such an example, such lifting and/or lowering of thesupport shelf 120 may be caused by the user using the same hand to applyvertical pressure to the handle 135 of the sliding tray 130 (while theactuator 150 is engaged). Furthermore, once the support shelf 120 is ata desired vertical position, the user may use the same hand to unengagethe actuator 150 (such as by releasing the actuator 150), causing thesupport shelf 120 to be locked in that vertical position. As such, thevertical positioning of the support shelf 120 may be adjusted using onlyone hand, which may allow the user to adjust the vertical position ofthe support shelf 120 while also utilizing a second hand to, forexample, hold food to be cooked, wear an oven mitt that may be used toprevent the user from being burned, or hold a towel, tray, plate, orutensil.

As is illustrated, the cooking unit 100 further includes brackets 190. Abracket 190 may be any device for coupling (or otherwise connecting) thecooking unit 100 to a structure. For example, a bracket 190 may be abracket (such as an inverted U bracket, an inverted V bracket, or anyother shaped bracket), a clip, a hook, a latching device, any otherdevice for coupling (or otherwise connecting) the cooking unit 100 to astructure, or any combination of the preceding. As illustrated, thebracket 190 is an inverted U shaped bracket.

The bracket 190 may have multiple parts. For example, as illustrated,the bracket 190 includes a top portion 191 coupled in-between a rear leg192 and a front leg 193. The top portion 191, the rear leg 192, and thefront leg 193 may have any shape. For example, one or more (or all) ofthe top portion 191, the rear leg 192, and the front leg 193 may have aside or a cross-section that is shaped as a rectangle, a square, anirregular shape, any other shape, or any combination of the preceding.The top portion 191, the rear leg 192, and the front leg 193 may alsohave any size. For example, the top portion 191 may have a length withina range of approximately (i.e., +/−0.5 inches) 1 inch to approximately 6inches, the rear leg 192 may have a length within a range ofapproximately 2 inches to approximately 12 inches, and the front leg 193may have a length within a range of approximately 2 inches toapproximately 48 inches. As another example, the front leg 193 may havea length that is equal to the height of the cooking unit 100, while thetop portion 191 and the rear leg 192 may have lengths that are less thanthe length of the front leg 193. The length of the top portion 191 mayform a gap 194 in-between the rear leg 192 and the front leg 193, as isillustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B. The gap 194 may allow the bracket 190 to beinserted into a structure (such as into a vent flue of a kitchen, as isillustrated in FIGS. 4A-5B).

The top portion 191 may be coupled to the rear leg 192 and the front leg193 in any manner. For example, the top portion 191 may be bolted to therear leg 192 and the front leg 193, screwed to the rear leg 192 and thefront leg 193, riveted to the rear leg 192 and the front leg 193,clipped or snapped into the rear leg 192 and the front leg 193, weldedto the rear leg 192 and the front leg 193, formed integral with the rearleg 192 and the front leg 193, coupled to the rear leg 192 and the frontleg 193 in any other manner, or any combination of the preceding.

The bracket 190 may be coupled to rear housing 140. The bracket 190 maybe coupled to any portion of the rear housing 140. For example, thefront leg 193 may be coupled to a rear face (or surface) of the rearhousing 140. The front leg 193 may be coupled to the rear face of therear housing 140 in any manner For example, the front leg 193 may bebolted to the rear face of the rear housing 140, screwed to the rearface of the rear housing 140, nailed to the rear face of the rearhousing 140, clipped or snapped into the rear face of the rear housing140, welded to the rear face of the rear housing 140, formed integralwith the rear face of the rear housing 140, coupled to the rear face ofthe rear housing 140 in any other manner, or any combination of thepreceding.

The cooking unit 100 may include any number of brackets 190. Forexample, the cooking unit 100 may include 1 bracket 190, 2 brackets 190,3 brackets 190, 4 brackets 190, 10 brackets 190, 20 brackets 190, or anyother number of brackets 190. As illustrated, the cooking unit 100includes 2 brackets 190 (bracket 190 a and bracket 190 b). The brackets190 may be made of (or constructed of) any material. For example, thebracket 190 may be made of steel (such as heavy duty, thick gauge, highgrade, and fully welded steel bars), stainless steel, aluminum, iron,brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy including coated, platedor clad metals, any other material, or any combination of the preceding.Additionally, the bracket 190 may be hollow, or it may be solid.

The brackets 190 may couple the cooking unit 100 to any structure. Forexample, the brackets 190 may couple the cooking unit 100 to a structureassociated with a kitchen, such as a kitchen vent flue, a kitchen table,a kitchen cabinet, a kitchen door, any other structure associated with akitchen, or any combination of the preceding. As another example, thebrackets 190 may couple the cooking unit 100 to any other structure,whether or not the structure is associated with a kitchen. Additionally,the brackets 190 may allow the cooking unit 100 to be moved even afterthe cooking unit 100 is coupled to the structure. For example, byproviding a secure coupling (without the use of bolts or any otherpermanent-type coupling), the brackets 190 may allow the cooking unit100 to be moved. In such an example, cooking unit 100 may be movedlaterally along the structure without uncoupling the cooking unit 100from the structure (as is illustrated by arrow 250 of FIGS. 4A and 5A).Furthermore, the cooking unit 100 may also be more easily uncoupled fromthe structure and moved to an entirely different structure (or toanother section of the same structure).

Although the cooking unit 100 has been described above as includingbrackets 190 for coupling the cooking unit 100 to a structure, thecooking unit 100 may include any other item or mechanism for couplingthe cooking unit 100 to a structure. Additionally, the rear housing 140itself may be coupled to a structure. The rear housing 140 may becoupled to a structure in any manner. For example, the rear housing 140may be bolted to the structure, screwed to the structure, riveted to thestructure, clipped or snapped into the structure, welded to thestructure, formed integral with the structure, coupled to the structurein any other manner, or any combination of the preceding.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate another example cooking unit. In particular, FIG.2A illustrates a front view of a block diagram of a cooking unit 100,FIG. 2B illustrates a top view of a block diagram of the cooking unit100, and FIG. 2C illustrates a side view of a block diagram of thecooking unit 100. The cooking unit 100 of FIGS. 2A-2C may besubstantially similar to the cooking unit 100 of FIGS. 1A-1B. However,the cooking unit 100 may further includes sides 145 a and 145 b coupledto opposing portions of the rear housing 140.

The side 145 may be any structure that may support one or more featuresof the cooking unit 100. For example, the side 145 may be a slab, apanel, a board, a sheet, one or more bars, one or more rods, one or morepipes, any other structure that may support one or more features of thecooking unit 100, or any combination of the preceding. As isillustrated, the sides 145 may support vertical tracks 151 of thecooking unit 100.

The side 145 may be made of (or constructed of) any material. Forexample, the side 145 may be made of steel, stainless steel, aluminum,iron, brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy (including coated,plated and clad metals), any other material that is sufficiently strongand stable while enduring long term exposure to heat, or any combinationof the preceding. Additionally, the side 145 may be hollow, or it may besolid.

The side 145 may have any shape. For example, the rear housing 140 maybe a flat panel (or board). In such an example, the front side (or face)of the flat panel (or board) may be shaped as a rectangle, a square, acircle, an irregular shape, any other shape, or any combination of thepreceding. The side 145 may also have any size. For example, the side145 may have a vertical height of approximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1foot, approximately 2 feet, approximately 3 feet, approximately 4 feet,approximately 5 feet, approximately 6 feet, or approximately any othersize. As another example, the side 145 may have a lateral length ofapproximately (i.e., +/−6 inches) 1 foot, approximately 2 feet,approximately 3 feet, approximately 4 feet, approximately 5 feet,approximately 6 feet, or approximately any other size.

The side 145 may be coupled to the rear housing 145. The side 145 may becoupled to any portion of the rear housing 145. For example, as isillustrated, the sides 145 a and 145 b are coupled to opposing portionsof the front face (or surface) of the rear housing 145. The side 145 maybe coupled to the rear housing 145 at any angle. As is illustrated, theside 145 is coupled at a 90 degree angle to the rear housing 145. Theside 145 may be coupled to the rear housing 140 in any manner Forexample, the side 145 may be bolted to the rear housing 140, screwed tothe rear housing 140, riveted to the rear housing 140, clipped orsnapped into the rear housing 140, welded to the rear housing 140,formed integral with the rear housing 140, coupled to the rear housing140 in any other manner, or any combination of the preceding.

As is illustrated, the sides 145 may support vertical tracks 151 of thecooking unit 100. For example, the vertical tracks 151 a and 151 b maybe coupled to the sides 145 a and 145 b (as opposed to being coupleddirectly to the rear housing 140, as is discussed above with regard toFIGS. 1A-1B). This may reduce the load on the rear housing 140.Furthermore, such a coupling may provide additional support to supportshelf 120 and/or sliding tray 130. Although the vertical tracks 151 ofFIGS. 2A-2C are coupled to the sides 145 (as opposed to being coupleddirectly to the rear housing), the support shelf 120 may still be movedvertically along the vertical tracks 151 in any manner. For example, thesupport shelf 120 may be manually moved (such as by a user of cookingunit 120 applying force to the support shelf 120), mechanically moved(such as by one or more motors, gears, and/or springs), magneticallymoved, moved in any other manner, or any combination of the preceding.An example of elements (or features) that may allow the support shelf120 to be moved in a vertical direction (such as up and/or down) isdiscussed below with regard to FIGS. 3A-3B.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate an example of internal components of the cookingunit of FIGS. 1A-1B. In particular, FIG. 3A illustrates an explodedfront perspective view of a portion of the cooking unit 100; and FIG. 3Billustrates an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3A. The illustratedinternal components of the cooking unit 100 may allow the support shelf120 (and the sliding tray 130) to be moved vertically along the verticaltracks 151, and may further allow the support shelf 120 to be locked andunlocked.

As illustrated, the support shelf 120 includes opposing support arms 122(such as horizontal brackets) that may couple support shelf 120 to thevertical tracks 151. A top surface (not shown) and a bottom surface ofthe support shelf 120 may be coupled to the support arms 122, therebyforming the support shelf 120. Furthermore, the support arms 122 mayinclude wheels 121 a and 121 b (such as guide wheels). These wheels 121may be inserted into the vertical tracks 151, thereby coupling thesupport shelf 120 to the vertical tracks 151.

The rear housing 140 may include one or more vertical flat gears 155.The vertical flat gear 155 may be positioned in any lateral location in(or on) the rear housing 140. For example, the vertical flat gear 155may be positioned to the left of vertical track 151 a, to the right ofvertical track 151 b, in-between vertical tracks 151 a and 151 b,in-between the counterweight pulleys 152 (discussed below), any otherposition, or any combination of the preceding.

The rear housing 140 may further include a pair of counterweight pulleys152 a and 152 b that may couple the support arms 122 (and thus thesupport shelf 120) to a pair of counterweights 159 a and 159 b. Thiscoupling may allow the counterweights 159 to balance all or a portion ofthe weight of the support shelf 120 (and sliding tray 130), therebyallowing the support shelf 120 to be moved vertically more easily. Forexample, as the support shelf 120 moves vertically upward, the balancingcounterweights 159 may move vertically downward, counteracting themovement of the support shelf 120 and making it easier to manually movethe support shelf 120 vertically upward. As another example, as thesupport shelf 120 moves vertically downward, the balancingcounterweights 159 may move vertically upward, counteracting themovement of the support shelf 120 and making it easier to manually movethe support shelf 120 vertically downward.

The counterweight pulleys 152 may be formed from roller chains 156 a and156 b (such as bicycle-type chains) that engage sprockets 157 a and 157b coupled to the opposing ends of a common bearing rod 153 (positionedbehind a rear surface of the support shelf 120). The ends of the bearingrod 153 may be supported by radial bearings 158 a and 158 b at the topof each vertical track 151 a and 151 b. The sprockets 157 and bearingrod 153 may rotate as the roller chains 156 move. A first end of eachroller chain 156 may be coupled to the rear surface of a support arm122, and a second opposing end of each roller chain 156 may be coupledto a counterweight 159, thereby coupling the support arm 122 (and thusthe support shelf 120) to the counterweights 159. Alternatively (oradditionally), the first and second ends of each roller chain 156 mayinclude (or terminate into) cables that are coupled respectively to thesupport arm 122 and counterweight 159. Such cables can be guided overone or more pulleys (or other rolling components) positioned in-betweenthe support arm 122 and the counterweight 159 when, for example, thevertical tracks 151 are not positioned in the rear housing 140, such aswhen the vertical tracks 151 are coupled to sides 145, as is illustratedin FIGS. 2A-2C.

As is discussed above, the rear housing 140 may include one or morevertical flat gears 155. The vertical flat gear 155 may allow thesupport shelf 120 to be locked and unlocked, as is discussed below. Thevertical flat gear 155 may include spaced-apart teeth, as is illustratedin FIG. 3B. Additionally, a gear stop 256 may be sized to fit in thespaces in-between the teeth. For example, the gear stop 256 may includeone or more protrusions that may each fit in the space in-between twoteeth of the gear stop 256. In addition to fitting in the spacesin-between the teeth, the gear stop 256 may be coupled to the actuator150. For example, the gear stop 256 may be coupled to a rod 154 by aclevis pin 257, and the rod 154 may be coupled to both the actuator 150and the support shelf 120. Additionally, a coil spring 255 and springtension adjuster 258 may surround the end of the rod 154 that is coupledto the gear stop 256, with the spring tension adjuster 258 being coupledto the support shelf 120 by a square nut 259.

When the actuator 150 is unengaged (or not engaged), the protrusions ofthe gear stop 246 may be positioned within the spaces in-between theteeth of the vertical flat gear 155. This positioning may lock thesupport shelf 120, thereby preventing the support shelf 120 from beingmoved vertically along the vertical tracks 151. For example, if a user(or a mechanism) attempts to move the support shelf 120 verticallyupward, this upward force may be transferred from the support shelf 120,to the rod 154 (coupled to the support shelf 120), to the protrusions ofthe gears stop 246, and to the teeth of the vertical flat gear 155. Insuch an example, the teeth of the vertical flat gear 155 may resist thatupward force, thereby preventing the support shelf 120 from movingvertically upward. Additionally, the teeth of the vertical flat gear 155may also resist any downward force applied by the user (and/or gravityor a mechanism), thereby also preventing the support shelf 120 frommoving vertically downward.

Alternatively, when the actuator 150 is engaged (e.g., by pulling theactuator 150 forward towards the handle 135), the actuator 150 mayremove the protrusions from the spaces in-between the teeth of thevertical flat gear 155 (e.g., by urging the spring biased rod 154forward to disengage the protrusions from the vertical flat gear 155).As such, the teeth of the vertical flat gear 155 may no longer resistupward (or downward) forces applied to the support shelf 120, therebyallowing the upward (or downward) forces to move the support shelfvertically along the vertical tracks 151. Additionally, when the supportshelf 120 is positioned at a desired vertical position, the actuator 150may once again be unengaged (e.g., by releasing the actuator 150,causing it to spring towards the rear housing 140). As such, thevertical flat gear 155 may once again lock the support shelf 120.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate an example of the cooking unit of FIGS. 1A-1Bcoupled to a vent flue. In particular, FIG. 4A illustrates a frontperspective view of a cooking unit 100 coupled to a vent flue 240; andFIG. 4B illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion ofFIG. 4A.

The cooking unit 100 of FIGS. 4A-4B may be substantially similar to thecooking unit 100 described above with regard to FIGS. 1A-3B. However, asillustrated, the cooking unit 100 is coupled to a vent flue 240. Thevent flue 240 may be any apparatus for venting gases. For example, thevent flue 240 may be a duct that receives hot combustion exhaust gasesfrom one or more cooking appliances and vents the exhaust gases nearceiling vents in, for example, a kitchen. The vent flue 240 may receivegases from any number of cooking appliances.

As illustrated, the vent flue 240 has a cavity 243 (illustrated in FIG.4B) with an upper opening 249 (illustrated in FIG. 4B) that may receivethe brackets 190 when the cooking unit 100 is coupled to the vent flue240. The cavity 243 may have any size and/or shape. For example, thecavity 243 may have a rectangular cross-section with a lateral lengthwithin a range of approximately (i.e., +/−0.5 inches) 6 inches toapproximately 96 inches or greater, and a width (or depth) within arange of approximately (i.e., +/−0.5 inches) 3 inches to approximately24 inches. As illustrated, the cavity 243 is a vertical cavity.

The cavity 243 may be defined by a front wall 241, a back wall 242, andtwo side walls 248. The front wall 241, back wall 242, and two sidewalls 248 may have any orientation with regard to each other. Forexample, the front wall 241 may be parallel to the back wall 242, thefront wall 241 may be approximately (i.e., +/−5 degrees) parallel to theback wall 242, the front wall 241 and the back wall 242 may be orientedvertically away from each other in a V shape, the front wall 241 and theback wall 242 may be oriented vertically toward each other in aninverted V shape, any other orientation, or any combination of thepreceding. Side walls 248 may be parallel to each other, approximately(i.e., +/−5 degrees) parallel to each other, any other orientation, orany combination of the preceding. Furthermore, side walls 248 may beoriented at 90 degree angles to each of the front wall 241 and the backwall 242, at 80 degree angles to each of the front wall 241 and the backwall 242, at 100 degree angles to each of the front wall 241 and theback wall 242, at approximately (i.e., +/−5 degrees) 90 degree angles toeach of the front wall 241 and the back wall 242, at approximately 80degree angles to each of the front wall 241 and the back wall 242, atapproximately 100 degree angles to each of the front wall 241 and theback wall 242, any other angle, or any other approximate angle. Asillustrated, the front wall 241 may have a rear face (or surface) withinthe cavity 243, and an opposing front face (or surface) outside of thecavity 243.

The front wall 241, back wall 242, and two side walls 248 may have anysize. For example, the front wall 241 (and back wall 242) may have alateral length within a range of approximately (i.e., +/−0.5 inches) 6inches to approximately 96 inches or more. Furthermore, the front wall241 may have a lateral length large enough to fit the cooking unit 100entirely within the length of the front wall 241. Additionally, thefront wall 241 may have a lateral length that is larger than the cookingunit 100. In such an example, this may allow the cooking unit 100 to bemoved laterally (as is illustrated by arrow 250) along the length of thefront wall 241 while the cooking unit 100 is coupled to the vent flue240. The front wall 241 may extend upward to a first height and the backwall 242 may extend upward to a second height that is larger than thefirst height. This difference in height may create a height gap 251(illustrated in FIG. 4B). The height gap 251 may be any size. Forexample, the size of the height gap 251 may be within a range ofapproximately (i.e., +/−0.1 inches) 0.25 inches to approximately 6inches. The size of the height gap 251 may be based on the size of thetop portion 191 of the brackets 190. For example, the size of the heightgap 251 may be equal to or approximately (i.e., +/−0.5 inches) equal tothe thickness of the top portion 191 of the brackets 190. In such anexample, the brackets 190 may be inserted into the upper opening 249 ofthe cavity 243 of the vent flue 240, and the thickness of the topportion 191 may cause the top side of the top portion 191 to be level orapproximately (i.e., +/−0.5 inches) level with the second height of theback wall 242. The height gap 251 may provide a space that allows thebrackets 190 (and the cooking unit 100) to be moved laterally (shown asarrow 250) along the length of the vent flue 240. For example, theheight gap 251 (along with the vent cap 245 discussed below) may createa continuous horizontal slot that allows the cooking unit 100 to bemoved laterally without interference.

The front wall 241, back wall 242, and two side walls 248 may be made of(or constructed of) any material. For example, the front wall 241, backwall 242, and two side walls 248 may be made of steel, stainless steel,aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy(including coated, plated or clad metals), any other material, or anycombination of the preceding.

The vent flue 240 further includes a support bar 244 positioned withinthe cavity 243. The support bar 244 may be any item for coupling (orotherwise connecting) to the vent flue 240 and further for supportingthe cooking unit 100 when the cooking unit 100 in inserted into thecavity 243. For example, the support bar 244 may be a bar, a rod, aslab, a pipe, a panel, a board, a segment, any other item for coupling(or otherwise connecting) to the vent flue 240 and further forsupporting the cooking unit 100 when the cooking unit 100 in insertedinto the cavity 243.

The vent flue 240 may include any number of support bars 244. Forexample, the vent flue 240 may include 1 support bar 244, 2 support bars244, 3 support bars 244, 4 support bars 244, or any other number ofsupport bars 244. As illustrated, the vent flue 240 includes 1 supportbar 244. The support bar 244 may be made of (or constructed of) anymaterial. For example, the support bar 244 may be made of stainlesssteel, aluminum, iron, brass, titanium, any other metal or metal alloy(including coated, plated or clad metals), any other material, or anycombination of the preceding. Additionally, the support bar 244 may behollow, or it may be solid. As illustrated, the support bar 244 ishollow, thereby allowing the support bar 244 to achieve a high stiffnessat a lower mass.

The support bar 244 may have any shape. For example, the support bar 244may have a side or cross-section that is shaped as a rectangle, asquare, a circle, an irregular shape, any other shape, or anycombination of the preceding. As illustrated, the cross section of thesupport bar 244 is shaped as a rectangle. The support bar 244 may alsohave any size for supporting the cooking unit 100 when the cooking unit100 in inserted into the cavity 243. For example, the support bar 244may have a thickness within a range of approximately (i.e., +/−0.5inches) 1 inch to approximately 6 inches. The thickness of the supportbar 244 may be based on both the size of the gap 194 of the brackets 190and the thickness of the front wall 241. For example, the thickness ofthe support bar 244 may be equal to or approximately (i.e., +/−0.5inches) equal to the size of the gap 194 of the brackets 190, minus thethickness of the front wall 241. In such an example, the support bar 244may fit within the gap 194 of the brackets 190, entirely (orapproximately) filling the portion of the gap 194 of the brackets 190that is not already filled by the thickness of the front wall 241 of thevent flue 240 (as is illustrated in FIG. 4B). As such, the support bar244 may distribute the stress caused by the load of the cooking unit 100when the cooking unit 100 is coupled to the vent flue 240.

The support bar 244 may be positioned at any location within the cavity243. For example, the support bar 244 may be coupled to the rear face ofthe front wall 241 of the vent flue 240. The support bar 244 may also bepositioned at any height within the cavity 243. For example, the supportbar 244 may be coupled adjacent to the first height of the front wall241. In such an example, the top surface of the support bar 244 may belevel or approximately (i.e., +/−0.1 inches) level with the top surfaceof the front wall 241, as is illustrated in FIG. 4B.

The support bar 244 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 (such as therear face of the front wall 241 of the vent flue 240) in any manner Forexample, the support bar 244 may be bolted to the vent flue 240, screwedto the vent flue 240, riveted to the vent flue 240, clipped or snappedinto the vent flue 240, welded to the vent flue 240, bonded to the ventflue 240, formed integral with the vent flue 240, coupled to the ventflue 240 (such as the rear face of the front wall 241 of the vent flue240) in any other manner, or any combination of the preceding.

The support bar 244 may be oriented in any manner that may allow thesupport bar 244 to support the cooking unit 100 when the cooking unit100 is inserted into the cavity 243. For example. the support bar 244may be oriented horizontally, vertically, at any angle in-betweenhorizontal and vertical, or any other angle. As illustrated, the supportbar 244 is oriented horizontally.

As illustrated, the vent flue 240 further includes a vent cap 245coupled to the vent flue 240. The vent cap 245 may be any apparatus thatmay allow gases to vent out of the cavity 243. The vent cap 245 may haveone or more perforations that may allow the gases to pass through thevent cap 245. The vent cap 245 may have any number of perforations, andthe perforations may have any shape and/or size. Furthermore, theperforations may be angled so as to direct the gases out of the vent cap245 at a particular angle.

The vent cap 245 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 at any locationthat allows the vent cap 245 to vent exhaust gases out of the cavity243. For example, as is illustrated, the vent cap 245 may be coupled ontop of the vent flue 240 so as to be located above the upper opening 249of the cavity 243 of the vent flue 240. The vent cap 245 may be coupledto the vent flue 240 (such as the top of the vent flue 240) in anymanner. For example, the vent cap 245 may be bolted to the vent flue240, screwed to the vent flue 240, riveted to the vent flue 240, clippedor snapped into the vent flue 240, welded to the vent flue 240, formedintegral with the vent flue 240, bonded to the vent flue 240 (such asthe top of the vent flue 240) in any other manner, or any combination ofthe preceding.

Although the vent cap 245 may be coupled to the vent flue 240, such acoupling preferably does not block, cover, or otherwise impede a portionof the height gap 251 in-between the first height of the front wall 241and the second height of the back wall 242. For example, the height gap251 (or a portion of the height gap 251) may create a spacing in-betweenthe top edge (or surface) of the front wall 241 and the bottom edge (orsurface) of the vent cap 245. This spacing may create a continuoushorizontal slot that allows the cooking unit 100 to be coupled to thevent flue 240. As such, the vent flue 240 may include the vent cap 245even when the cooking unit 100 is coupled to the vent flue 240.Furthermore, this horizontal slot may also allow the cooking unit 100 tobe moved laterally (as is illustrated by arrow 250) along the length ofthe vent flue 240 even while the vent cap 245 is coupled to the ventflue 240. As such, the cooking unit 100 may be moved (or repositioned)without the vent cap 245 having to be removed.

As illustrated, the vent cap 245 includes cap sides 246 (illustrated inFIG. 4A) coupled to each side of the vent cap 245. These cap sides 246may allow the vent cap 245 to enclose the cavity 243 (other than theheight gap 251 in-between the first height of the front wall 241 and thesecond height of the back wall 242). As such, all (or substantially all)of the gases in the cavity 243 may be vented through the perforations ofthe vent cap 245. The cap sides 246 may be coupled to the vent cap 245in any manner. For example, the cap sides 246 may be bolted to the ventcap 245, screwed to the vent cap 245, riveted to the vent cap 245,clipped or snapped to the vent cap 245, welded to the vent cap 245,bonded to the vent cap 245, formed integral with the vent cap 245,coupled to the vent cap 245 in any other manner, or any combination ofthe preceding.

As is discussed above, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the ventflue 240. The cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 inany manner For example, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the ventflue 240 by inserting the brackets 190 of the cooking unit 100 into theupper opening 249 of the cavity 243 of the vent flue 240. By doing so,the rear leg 192 of the bracket 190 may be inserted between the frontwall 241 and the back wall 242 of the vent flue 240, and be positionedagainst the back surface of the support bar 244, as is illustrated inFIG. 4B. Additionally, the support bar 244 may be positioned within thegap 194 in-between the rear leg 192 and the front leg 193, as is alsoillustrated in FIG. 4B. Furthermore, the front leg 193 of the bracket190 may be positioned against the front face of the front wall 241, andthe top portion 191 of the bracket 190 may be positioned against the topsurface of the front wall 241 and the top surface of the support bar244, as is also illustrated in FIG. 4B. Such a coupling may cause therear housing 140 to be positioned against the front face of the frontwall 241, thereby causing the rear housing 140 to be oriented parallelto the front wall 241.

The cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 before the ventcap 245 is coupled to the vent flue 240. In such an example, after thecooking unit 100 is coupled to the vent flue 240, the vent cap 245 maybe coupled to the vent flue 240.

Although FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate the cooking unit 100 coupled to a ventflue 240, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to any other structureassociated with a kitchen. For example, the cooking unit 100 may becoupled to a kitchen table, a kitchen cabinet, a kitchen door, any otherstructure associated with a kitchen, or any combination of thepreceding. Furthermore, the cooking unit 100 may also be coupled to anyother structure, whether or not the structure is associated with akitchen.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example of a kitchen area that utilizes acooking unit. In particular, FIG. 5A illustrates a partially assembledperspective view of a kitchen area 300 that utilizes a cooking unit 100and a vent flue 240; and FIG. 5B illustrates an enlarged view of theencircled portion of FIG. 5A. The kitchen area 300 may be any area ofany type of kitchen. For example, the kitchen area 300 may be a portionof a cooking line in a food industry kitchen.

As illustrated, the kitchen area 300 includes a cooking unit 100. Thecooking unit 100 may be substantially similar to the cooking unitdescribed above with regard to FIGS. 1A-4B. Furthermore, the kitchenarea 300 may include any number of cooking units 100. For example, thekitchen area 300 may include 1 cooking unit 100, 2 cooking units 100, 3cooking units 100, 4 cooking units 100, 5 cooking units 100, 10 cookingunits 100, 20 cooking units 100, or any other number of cooking units100. As illustrated, the kitchen area 300 includes 1 cooking unit 100.

The kitchen area 300 further includes a vent flue 240. The vent flue 240may be substantially similar to the vent flue 240 described above withregard to FIGS. 4A-4B. Furthermore, the kitchen area 300 may include anynumber of vent flues 240. For example, the kitchen area 300 may include1 vent flue 240, 2 vent flues 240, 3 vent flues 240, 4 vent flues 240, 5vent flues 240, 10 vent flues 240, 20 vent flues 240, or any othernumber of vent flues 240. As illustrated, the kitchen area 300 includesa single vent flue 240 that extends laterally along the entire length ofthe kitchen area 300. As discussed above with regard to FIGS. 4A-4B, thevent flue 240 may include one or more support bars 244, and one or morevent caps 245 coupled to the vent flue 240.

As is illustrated, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue240. A cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 in anymanner For example, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue240 by inserting the brackets 190 of the cooking unit 100 into the upperopening 249 of the cavity 243 of the vent flue 240, as is discussedabove with regard to FIGS. 4A-4B. When coupled to the vent flue 240, thecooking unit 100 may be moved laterally (as is illustrated by arrow 250)along the length of the vent flue 240 even while the vent cap 245 (suchas each of vent caps 245 a-245 c) is coupled to the vent flue 240.

As illustrated, the kitchen area 300 further includes kitchen appliances310. A kitchen appliance 310 may be any apparatus that may be used in akitchen (such as to cook food). For example, a kitchen appliance 310 maybe a fryer, a grill, a cooking range (such as a French Top cookingrange), an oven, a smoker, a table top, a dishwasher, a sink, a trashcompactor, any other apparatus that may be used in a kitchen, or anycombination of the preceding.

The kitchen area 300 may include any number of kitchen appliances 310.For example, the kitchen area 300 may include 1 kitchen appliance 310, 2kitchen appliances 310, 3 kitchen appliances 310, 4 kitchen appliances310, 6 kitchen appliances 310, 10 kitchen appliances 310, 20 kitchenappliances 310, or any other number of kitchen appliances 310. Asillustrated, the kitchen area 300 includes a fryer as a first cookingappliance 310 a, a grill as a second cooking appliance 310 b, a FrenchTop cooking range as a third cooking appliance 310 c, and an oven as afourth cooking appliance 310 d.

The kitchen appliance 310 may be in fluid communication with the ventflue 240. For example, as is illustrated, the fourth cooking appliance310 d is an oven. This oven may be a gas combustion oven. Furthermore, aportion of the combustion gases of the oven (such as the hot combustionexhaust gases) may be directed from the oven into the vent flue 240, soas to vent out of the cavity 243 of the vent flue 240. As such, thesehot combustion exhaust gases may be vented near ceiling vents, forexample, in the kitchen area 300. Any number of the kitchen appliances310 in the kitchen area 300 may be in fluid communication with the ventflue 240. For example, only one kitchen appliance 310 may be in fluidcommunication with the vent flue 240, none of the kitchen appliances 310may be in fluid communication with the vent flue 240, all of the kitchenappliances 310 may be in fluid communication with the vent flue 240, orany other number of kitchen appliances 310 may be in fluid communicationwith the vent flue 240.

The cooking unit 100 and the kitchen appliance 310 may be positioned inany manner with respect to each other. For example, the cooking unit 100may be positioned directly above the kitchen appliance 310, laterally toleft of the kitchen appliance 310, laterally to right of the kitchenappliance 310, half above the kitchen appliance 310 and half aboveanother area of the kitchen area 300, or positioned at any otherlocation with respect to the kitchen appliance 310.

Furthermore, because the lateral position of the cooking unit 100 may bechanged (such as by sliding the cooking unit 100 laterally along thevent flue 240), the positioning of the cooking unit 100 with respect tothe kitchen appliance 310 may also be changed. As is illustrated, thecooking unit 100 is positioned above the oven kitchen appliance 310 d.

The cooking unit 100 may further be positioned with respect to a kitchenappliance 310 so as to have a vertical spacing in-between the cookingunit 100 and the kitchen appliance 310. For example, the cooking unit100 may be positioned so that there is a vertical spacing 315 in-betweenthe top of the kitchen appliance 310 (such as the top of the ovenkitchen appliance 310 d) and the support shelf 120 and sliding tray 130of the cooking unit 100. This vertical spacing 315 may be any distance.For example, the vertical spacing 315 may be 6 inches, 1 foot, 1.5 feet,2 feet, 2.5 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, or any other distance. Asanother example, the vertical spacing 315 may be approximately (i.e.,+/−3 inches) 6 inches, approximately 1 foot, approximately 1.5 feet,approximately 2 feet, approximately 2.5 feet, approximately 3 feet,approximately 4 feet, approximately 5 feet, or any other approximatedistance. The vertical spacing 315 may create a work space in-betweenthe top of the kitchen appliance 310 and the support shelf 120 andsliding tray 130 of the cooking unit 100. This work space may allowkitchen personnel to use the top of the kitchen appliance 310 (such asuse the top of the kitchen appliance 310 to cook food, prepare food, orstore dishes) without running into a portion of the cooking unit 100.

Additionally, the vertical spacing 315 may be adjusted. For example,using the actuator 150 of the cooking unit 100, support shelf 120 (andsliding tray 130) of the cooking unit 100 may be moved vertically alongthe vertical tracks 151. This movement may raise the support shelf 120(and sliding tray 130) toward the heating chamber 110, creating a largervertical distance 315. As such, kitchen personnel may have more workspace to operate in. Furthermore, food (and/or other items) positionedon the sliding tray 130 may receive more heat from the heating chamber110. Alternatively, the movement may lower the support shelf 120 (andsliding tray 130) away from the heating chamber 110, creating a smallervertical distance 315. As such, food (or other items) positioned on thesliding tray 130 may receive less heat from the heating chamber 110.Additionally, the lower positioning of the sliding tray 130 may allowfor easier loading and/or unloading of food (or other items) from thesliding tray 130.

The cooking unit 100 and the kitchen appliance 310 may further bepositioned in any manner with respect to the vent flue 240. For example,the cooking unit 100 (and/or the kitchen appliance 310) may bepositioned in the middle of the lateral length of the vent flue 240, onthe left of the lateral length of the vent flue 240, on the right of thelateral length of the vent flue 240, or any other position along thelateral length of the vent flue 240. Additionally, due to size of thelateral length of the vent flue 240, the vent flue 240 may extendlaterally beyond the length of the cooking unit 100, the kitchenappliance 310, or both the cooking unit 100 and the kitchen appliance310. As such, the cooking unit 100 may be moved laterally along thelength of the vent flue 240 to be positioned at any location withrespect to the kitchen appliance 310, as is discussed above.

Modifications, additions, combinations, or omissions may be made to thecooking unit 100, vent flue 240, kitchen appliances 310, and/or anyother elements of FIGS. 1A-5B without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any number of cooking units 100 (e.g., two ormore cooking units 100) may be coupled to a vent flue 240 (or any otherstructure). Additionally, any of the elements of any of FIGS. 1A-5B maybe added to, combined with, or substituted for any of the elements ofany other of the FIGS. 1A-5B.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method of installing and/or using acooking unit. One or more of the steps (such as all of the steps) ofmethod 500 may be performed using the cooking unit 100 of FIGS. 1A-5B,the vent flue 240 of FIGS. 4A-5B, and/or any of the other elements ofFIGS. 1A-5B. Furthermore, one or more of the steps (such as all of thesteps) of method 500 may be performed by a manufacturer of a cookingunit, a re-seller of a cooking unit, a shipper of a cooking unit, aninstaller of a cooking unit, and/or a user of a cooking unit.Additionally, one or more of the steps of method 500 may be performed bydifferent entities.

The method 500 begins at step 505. At step 510, a cooking unit 100 maybe provided. The cooking unit 100 may be provided in any manner. Forexample, the cooking unit 100 may be built, purchased, shipped,acquired, received, provided in any other manner, or any combination ofthe preceding.

At step 515, a vent flue 240 may be provided. The vent flue 240 may beprovided in any manner For example, the vent flue 240 may be built,purchased, shipped, acquired, received, installed, provided in any othermanner, or any combination of the preceding.

The vent flue 240 may be provided with one or more support bars 244already added to the vent flue 240. Alternatively, the step 515 mayfurther include adding one or more support bars 244 to the vent flue240. A support bar 244 may be positioned at any location within thecavity 243 of the vent flue 240. For example, the support bar 244 may becoupled to the rear face of the front wall 241 of the vent flue 240. Thesupport bar 244 may also be positioned at any height within the cavity243 of the vent flue 240. For example, the support bar 244 may becoupled adjacent to the first height of the front wall 241. In such anexample, the top surface of the support bar 244 may be level orapproximately (i.e., +/−0.1 inches) level with the top surface of thefront wall 241, as is illustrated in FIG. 4B. Additionally, the supportbar 244 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 (such as the rear face ofthe front wall 241 of the vent flue 240) in any manner. For example, thesupport bar 244 may be bolted to the vent flue 240, screwed to the ventflue 240, riveted to the vent flue 240, clipped or snapped into the ventflue 240, welded to the vent flue 240, bonded to the vent flue 240,formed integral with the vent flue 240, coupled to the vent flue 240(such as the rear face of the front wall 241 of the vent flue 240) inany other manner, or any combination of the preceding.

At step 520, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue 240.The cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 in any manner.For example, the cooking unit 100 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 byinserting the brackets 190 of the cooking unit 100 into the upperopening 249 of the cavity 243 of the vent flue 240. By doing so, therear leg 192 of the bracket 190 may be inserted between the front wall241 and the back wall 242 of the vent flue 240, and be positionedagainst the back surface of the support bar 244, as is illustrated inFIG. 4B. Additionally, the support bar 244 may be positioned within thegap 194 in-between the rear leg 192 and the front leg 193, as is alsoillustrated in FIG. 4B. Furthermore, the front leg 193 of the bracket190 may be positioned against the front face of the front wall 241, andthe top portion 191 of the bracket 190 may be positioned against the topsurface of the front wall 241 and the top surface of the support bar244, as is also illustrated in FIG. 4B. Such a coupling may cause therear housing 140 to be positioned against the front face of the frontwall 241, thereby causing the rear housing 140 to be oriented parallelto the front wall 241.

At step 525, a vent cap 245 may be coupled to the vent flue 240. Thevent cap 245 may be coupled to the vent flue 240 at any location thatallows the vent cap 245 to vent gases out of the cavity 243. Forexample, as is illustrated, the vent cap 245 may be coupled on top ofthe vent flue 240 so as to be located above the upper opening 249 ofcavity 243 of the vent flue 240. In such an example, the vent cap 245may cover the vent flue 240. The vent cap 245 may be coupled to the ventflue 240 in any manner For example, the vent cap 245 may be bolted tothe vent flue 240, screwed to the vent flue 240, nailed to the vent flue240, clipped or snapped into the vent flue 240, welded to the vent flue240, formed integral with the vent flue 240, coupled to the vent flue240 in any other manner, or any combination of the preceding. Althoughthe vent cap 245 may be coupled to the vent flue 240, such a couplingpreferably does not block, cover, or otherwise impede a portion of theheight gap 251 in-between the first height of the front wall 241 and thesecond height of the back wall 242. For example, the height gap 251 (ora portion of the height gap 251) may create a spacing in-between the topedge of the front wall 241 and the bottom edge of the vent cap 245. Thisspacing may create a continuous horizontal slot that may allow thecooking unit 100 to be coupled to the vent flue 240 and that may alsoallow the cooking unit 100 to be moved laterally (as is illustrated byarrow 250 of FIGS. 4A and 5A) along the length of the vent flue 240 evenwhile the vent cap 245 is coupled to the vent flue 240.

At step 530, the handle 135 of the sliding tray 130 of the cooking unit100 may be grasped. The handle 135 may be grasped with a single hand ofa user. Furthermore, the handle 135 may be grasped in any manner.

At step 535, an actuator 150 of the cooking unit 100 may be engaged. Theactuator 150 may be engaged using the same single hand of the user.Furthermore, the actuator 150 may be engaged in any manner. For example,the actuator 150 may be engaged by moving the actuator 150 (e.g., movingthe actuator 150 using a finger), pulling the actuator 150 forward (orout), pushing the actuator 150 backward (or in), depressing the actuator150 (e.g., depressing a button), twisting the actuator 150, moving theactuator 150 laterally (e.g., to the left or right), moving the actuator150 vertically (e.g., up or down), grasping the actuator 150 (e.g.,using a single hand to co-grasp both the handle 135 and the actuator 150by placing the palm of the hand on or around the handle 135 and placingone or more fingers on or through the actuator 150 in a graspingmotion), any other manner of engaging the actuator 150, or anycombination of the preceding. Such an engagement of the actuator 150 mayoccur after the hand is already grasping the handle 135, immediatelybefore the hand grasps the handle 135, or at substantially the same timeas the hand grasping the handle 135 (i.e., both actions occur during thesame motion of the hand). Furthermore, by engaging the actuator 150, thesupport shelf 120 of the cooking unit 100 may be unlocked, allowing thesupport shelf 120 to be moved vertically along the vertical tracks 151.

At step 540, the support shelf 120 may be moved vertically along thevertical tracks 151. The support shelf 120 may be moved in any verticaldirection. For example, the support shelf 120 may be raised (or movedvertically upward) toward the heating chamber 110. As another example,the support shelf 120 may be lowered (or moved vertically downward) awayfrom the heating chamber 120. The support shelf 120 may be movedvertically along the vertical tracks 151 in any manner. For example, thesupport shelf 120 may be manually moved (such as by a user of cookingunit 120 applying force to the support shelf 120). In such an example, auser may use the same single hand (that is grasping the handle 135 andengaging the actuator 150) to apply force to the handle 135, causing thesupport shelf 120 to move vertically. As further examples, the supportshelf 120 may be mechanically moved (such as by one or more motors,gears, and/or springs), magnetically moved, moved in any other manner,or any combination of the preceding.

At step 545, the sliding tray 130 of the cooking unit 110 may be movedhorizontally with respect to the rear housing 140. For example, thesliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally toward the rear housing 140.As another example, the sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally awayfrom the rear housing 140. The sliding tray 130 may be movedhorizontally in any manner For example, the sliding tray 130 may bemanually moved (such as by a user of cooking unit 100 by applying forceto the sliding tray 130). In such an example, a user may use the samesingle hand (that is grasping the handle 135 and that may engage theactuator 150) to apply horizontal force to the handle 135, causing thesliding tray 130 to move horizontally.

The sliding tray 130 may be moved horizontally while the supportstructure 120 is at a maximum vertical position, a minimum verticalposition, any other vertical position in-between the maximum and minimumvertical position, and/or while the support structure 130 is being movedvertically. Furthermore, the support structure 120 may be movedvertically toward (or away from) the heating chamber 110 while thesliding tray 130 is at a maximum forward horizontal position withrespect to the rear housing 140, a minimum forward horizontal positionwith respect to the rear housing 140, any other horizontal positionin-between the maximum and minimum forward horizontal position withrespect to the rear housing 140, and/or while the sliding tray 130 isbeing moved horizontally.

At step 550, the actuator 150 may be unengaged. The actuator 150 may beunengaged using the same single hand of the user. Furthermore, theactuator 150 may be unengaged in any manner For example, the actuator150 may be unengaged by reversing the motion that engaged the actuator150, releasing the actuator 150 from being engaged (which may cause theactuator 150 to move back to the unengaged position), any other mannerof unengaging the actuator 150, or any combination of the preceding. Byunengaging the actuator 150, the support shelf 120 may be locked,preventing the support shelf 120 from being moved vertically along thevertical tracks 151. At step 555, the method 500 may end.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to method 500. Forexample, the method 500 may not include one or more of the steps.Additionally, the steps of method 500 may be performed in parallel or inany suitable order.

This specification has been written with reference to variousnon-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments or examples. However, itwill be recognized by persons having ordinary skill in the art thatvarious substitutions, modifications, or combinations of any of thedisclosed embodiments or examples (or portions thereof) may be madewithin the scope of this specification. Thus, it is contemplated andunderstood that this specification supports additional embodiments orexamples not expressly set forth in this specification. Such embodimentsor examples may be obtained, for example, by combining, modifying, orreorganizing any of the disclosed steps, components, elements, features,aspects, characteristics, limitations, and the like, of the variousnon-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments or examples described inthis specification. In this manner, Applicant reserves the right toamend the claims during prosecution to add features as variouslydescribed in this specification.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking unit, comprising: a rear housing; ahorizontal gas combustion chamber coupled to the rear housing, thehorizontal gas combustion chamber being operable to direct heatdownward; a pair of vertical tracks coupled to the rear housing; ahorizontal support shelf coupled to the pair of vertical tracks andpositioned below the horizontal gas combustion chamber, the horizontalsupport shelf being operable to be moved vertically along the pair ofvertical tracks; a horizontal sliding tray coupled to the horizontalsupport shelf and positioned above the horizontal support shelf, thehorizontal sliding tray being operable to be moved horizontally withrespect to the rear housing; a handle coupled to a front surface of thehorizontal sliding tray; an actuator positioned adjacent to the handleso as to allow both the handle to be grasped and the actuator engaged bya single hand of a user, the actuator being operable, when engaged, tounlock the horizontal support shelf so as to allow the horizontalsupport shelf to be moved vertically along the pair of vertical tracksusing the handle and the single hand of the user, the actuator beingfurther operable, when not engaged, to lock the horizontal support shelfso as to prevent the horizontal support shelf from being movedvertically along the pair of vertical tracks; a vertical flat gearcoupled to the rear housing, wherein the vertical flat gear ispositioned laterally in-between the pair of vertical tracks; and a gearstop having a portion positioned in a portion of the vertical flat gear,wherein the gear stop is coupled, at least indirectly, to the actuator,wherein the actuator is operable, when engaged, to remove the portion ofthe gear stop from the position in the portion of the vertical flat gearso as to unlock the horizontal support shelf.
 2. The cooking unit ofclaim 1, wherein the cooking unit is operable to be coupled to a ventflue.
 3. The cooking unit of claim 1, further comprising a pair ofbrackets coupled to a rear face of the rear housing, the pair ofbrackets being operable to be inserted into an upper opening of a cavityof a vent flue.
 4. A cooking unit, comprising: a rear housing; ahorizontal heating chamber coupled to the rear housing, the horizontalheating chamber being operable to direct heat downward; one or morevertical tracks coupled to the rear housing; a horizontal support shelfcoupled to the one or more vertical tracks and positioned below thehorizontal heating chamber, the horizontal support shelf being operableto be moved vertically along the one or more vertical tracks; ahorizontal sliding tray coupled to the horizontal support shelf andpositioned above the horizontal support shelf, the horizontal slidingtray being operable to be moved horizontally with respect to the rearhousing; a handle coupled to a front surface of the horizontal slidingtray; and an actuator positioned adjacent to the handle so as to allowboth the handle to be grasped and the actuator engaged by a single handof a user, the actuator being operable, when engaged, to unlock thehorizontal support shelf so as to allow the horizontal support shelf tobe moved vertically along the one or more vertical tracks using thehandle and the single hand of the user, the actuator being furtheroperable, when not engaged, to lock the horizontal support shelf so asto prevent the horizontal support shelf from being moved verticallyalong the one or more vertical tracks.
 5. The cooking unit of claim 4,wherein the horizontal heating chamber is a horizontal gas combustionchamber.
 6. The cooking unit of claim 4, wherein the one or morevertical tracks comprise at least two vertical tracks.
 7. The cookingunit of claim 4, further comprising: a vertical flat gear coupled to therear housing; and a gear stop having a portion positioned in a portionof the vertical flat gear, wherein the gear stop is coupled, at leastindirectly, to the actuator, wherein the actuator is operable, whenengaged, to remove the portion of the gear stop from the position in theportion of the vertical flat gear so as to unlock the horizontal supportshelf.
 8. The cooking unit of claim 7, wherein the one or more verticaltracks comprise two vertical tracks, and the vertical flat gear ispositioned laterally in-between the two vertical tracks.
 9. The cookingunit of claim 4, wherein the horizontal support shelf is furtheroperable to be moved vertically along the one or more vertical trackswhile the horizontal sliding tray is positioned at a maximum forwardhorizontal position with respect to the rear housing.
 10. The cookingunit of claim 4, wherein the actuator is operable to be moved forwardtowards the handle so as to be engaged.
 11. The cooking unit of claim 4,wherein the cooking unit is operable to be coupled to a vent flue. 12.The cooking unit of claim 4, further comprising a pair of bracketscoupled to a rear face of the rear housing, the pair of brackets beingoperable to be inserted into an upper opening of a cavity of a ventflue.
 13. The cooking unit of claim 4, wherein the actuator ispositioned within a range of approximately 6 inches-approximately 1 inchfrom the handle, so as to allow both the handle to be grasped and theactuator engaged by the single hand of the user.
 14. The cooking unit ofclaim 4, wherein the actuator is positioned less than approximately 3inches from the handle, so as to allow both the handle to be grasped andthe actuator engaged by the single hand of the user.
 15. A method,comprising: providing a cooking unit, the cooking unit comprising: arear housing; a horizontal heating chamber coupled to the rear housing,the horizontal heating chamber being operable to direct heat downward;one or more vertical tracks coupled to the rear housing; a horizontalsupport shelf coupled to the one or more vertical tracks and positionedbelow the horizontal heating chamber; a horizontal sliding tray coupledto the horizontal support shelf and positioned above the horizontalsupport shelf; a handle coupled to a front surface of the horizontalsliding tray; and an actuator positioned adjacent to the handle;grasping the handle with a first hand; engaging the actuator with thefirst hand so as to unlock the horizontal support shelf; and moving thehorizontal support shelf vertically along the one or more verticaltracks using the handle.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein moving thehorizontal support shelf vertically along the one or more verticaltracks using the handle comprises raising the horizontal support shelftoward the horizontal heating chamber.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein moving the horizontal support shelf vertically along the one ormore vertical tracks using the handle comprises lowering the horizontalsupport shelf away from the horizontal heating chamber.
 18. The methodof claim 15, further comprising unengaging the horizontal support shelfso as to lock the horizontal support shelf to prevent the horizontalsupport shelf from being moved vertically along the one or more verticaltracks.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein engaging the actuator withthe first hand comprises moving the actuator toward the handle using thefirst hand.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising moving thehorizontal sliding tray horizontally with respect to the rear housing.21. The method of claim 15, further comprising: providing a vent flue;and coupling the cooking unit to the vent flue.
 22. The method of claim15, wherein the cooking unit further comprises a pair of bracketscoupled to a rear face of the rear housing; and wherein the methodfurther comprises inserting the pair of brackets into an upper openingof a cavity of the vent flue.